Kenny Schachter Rove Gallery, London

lampoon

Originally published in Destination: Limited Edition Design (Mondadori Electa, 2008).

The multidimensional, multitalented Kenny Schachter began his career in the art world in the early 1990s, curating inventive exhibitions in addition to lecturing and writing about contemporary work that bridges art, architecture and design. His first permanent gallery space, conTEMPorary, opened in 2001 in Greenwich Village and was designed by Vito Acconci. This space exemplified Kenny’s disdain for unapproachable “white-box” exhibition spaces through the use of fluid forms and plentiful seating and reading material, meant to encourage a lounge-like atmosphere. Kenny relocated back to London in 2004 and has continued to promote avant-garde projects that extend the traditional boundaries of the visual arts. Working with major innovators of our time, he has commissioned experimental furniture, lighting, automobiles and installations. He is a maverick who isn’t afraid to take on large-scale ventures that make major contributions to contemporary cultural discourse. Kenny’s foremost new project is the development of a new exhibition space on Hoxton Square, a public park located in the London borough of Hackney in London’s East End. Since the 90s, this area has begun to throw off its industrial past and welcome a thriving arts and media scene. Very soon it will also feature the first building in the UK designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. This much-anticipated new structure will also house Kenny’s new gallery. Artists, designers, and architects represented include Vito Acconci, Ron Arad, Zaha Hadid, Peter Harvey, Frederick Kiesler, Arik Levy, Ross Lovegrove, William Pope, Hani Rashid, Kenny Scharf, Richard Wood.